Firearms season opener is today

Wednesday

Nov 14, 2012 at 9:35 PMNov 14, 2012 at 9:37 PM

Thousands of hunters will hit the woods today for the opening of firearms deer season, and hundreds of thousands more make their way to a blind over the weekend as Michigan's most sacred outdoor tradition gets underway.The weather should be a welcome improvement from recent openers. High are expected to top out in the 40s with lows in the low-30s, ideal conditions to keep deer moving throughout the day, but not so cold it forces hunters indoors.

Mark Spencley

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.comCHEBOYGAN – Thousands of hunters will hit the woods today for the opening of firearms deer season, and hundreds of thousands more make their way to a blind over the weekend as Michigan's most sacred outdoor tradition gets underway.The weather should be a welcome improvement from recent openers. High are expected to top out in the 40s with lows in the low-30s, ideal conditions to keep deer moving throughout the day, but not so cold it forces hunters indoors.Long hours in the woods should prove fruitful this season. Deer numbers are up and antlers are more impressive."The region as a whole is seeing deer numbers pop back after those two tough winters, particularly the last one in 2008," said Ashley Autenrieth, Department of Natural Resources deer specialist. Favorable winter and spring conditions have not only allowed the deer population to bounce back, they have given buck the opportunity to maximize their antler growth. Coming out of difficult winters, bucks tend to sport smaller racks due the winter stress and the energy their bodies devote to recovery during the summer. "We see the difference in our antler measurements and deer check stations," said Department of Natural Resources biologist Brian Mastenbrook on the affect light winters and early springs can have on antler growth. "In those years after tough winters, deer had significantly smaller antlers. In each age class, the spreads weren't as big, the tines weren't as long, and the beams weren't as long."A bump in antler growth isn't terribly noticeable in young bucks, but once bucks reach maturity the difference is measurable. Mature bucks are harder to find, but there should be more of them this season than in recent years.The key to tagging one of these mature, rut-crazed bucks will be taking advantage of their compromised instincts. Bucks will be on their feet more in the next week or so than at any other point in the year. Their instinctive urge to breed will prompt them to throw caution to the wind and seek out any and all breeding-ready does."Bucks' hormones pretty much take over their lives," said Jennifer Kleitch, DNR biologist, of rutting bucks. "Nothing really slows them down."In agricultural areas, bucks can often been seen pursuing does in and around the open crop fields. The visible rut activity is as much a result of high deer numbers as the open terrain.According to Mastenbrook, there are always higher deer densities in agricultural areas. The wealth of food in farm country far exceeds that which is available in the 'big woods' northern Michigan is known for. That's not to say big bucks can't be found in these large stretches to timber. In fact, some of the biggest bucks seek out these unpressured sanctuaries to spend most of their time.Hunters who are heading to the big woods today, which will be many, should not expect to see masses of deer, but the potential to shoot a trophy is there."Big bucks can live pretty much anywhere, but there just aren't going to be as many of them, or deer period, in heavily forested areas," said Mastenbrook.More bucks and good antler growth should lead to a good season for northern Michigan hunters and it all starts today.